<b>Attorney General Reno, Nation's Mayors and Police Chiefs Meet In Salt Lake City To Address Youth Violence</b>
For Immediate Release
Attorney General Reno, Nation's Mayors and Police Chiefs Meet In Salt Lake City To Address Youth Violence
Salt Lake City, UT (September 24, 1998) -- School uniforms should be worn by all the nation's schoolchildren. Handguns should be "personalized" to allow their firing only by the adults legally authorized to use them. Police officers should have at least an occasional presence in every school. The firearms industry should halt advertising that suggests a gun in the home makes a family safer. And a coalition of parents, educators, mayors and other elected officials should be formed to pressure the news and entertainment media to offer more positive coverage of young people and drastically curtail the depiction of violence among youths.
These are among the recommendations brought to the table today as U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno rolls up her sleeves with the nation's mayors for a "National Summit on School Violence and Kids from 2 to 8pm" in Salt Lake City.
Deedee Corradini, Salt Lake City's Mayor and President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is hosting the Summit, which brings together over 60 mayors and their law enforcement officials from America's largest cities. Among the mayors participating are Ron Kirk of Dallas, Beverly O'Neill of Long Beach, Clarence Harmon of St. Louis, Wellington Webb of Denver, Thomas Menino of Boston, and Marc Morial of New Orleans.
The Summit also includes leaders from the worlds of recreation, entertainment, media, health and education. Among the participants is Roma Downey, star of the hit television series, "Touched by an Angel." The Summit participants are working throughout the day to draft an action plan that addresses the causes of youth violence and offers solutions to prevent further acts of violence from occurring. The action plan developed here will be presented to President Clinton by the USCM leadership at a White House meeting on Oct. 15.
"This is not a summit of 'war stories,'" Mayor Corradini said. "Enormous coverage by the national media in the last year has made us sufficiently familiar with the horrifying details of the events in Jonesboro, Paducah and Springfield, among other places. Our focus is on identifying solutions to this problem, and hammering out an ambitious but doable action plan to address it."
The summit is highlighting "best practices" from cities around the nation that are reducing violence in schools and providing healthy alternatives for kids in the after-school hours. Recommendations focus on four topic areas: School Violence; After School Violence (or "Kids from 2PM to 8PM"); Youth Violence in the News Media; and Youth Violence in the Entertainment Industry. Among the other recommendations addressed during the summit are:
Later starting times for schools, based on latest studies on children's learning patterns, which would also extend the class day and reduce after-school youth crime and violence.
Legislating a national "One Gun a Month" law to prevent "Straw purchasing" of guns which often end up in children's hands.
A call to schools, parks, cultural institutions, the private sector, and others to develop after-school programs to keep kids engaged in creative activities throughout the day.
"If we can take away the means and the opportunities for youths to engage in violent activity, and instead impart them with healthy attitudes and provide attractive alternatives, we can stop the elements that can cause some children to become killers," Mayor Corradini said.
The United States Conference of Mayors
J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 293-7330, FAX (202) 293-2352
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